This is very person for many, many reasons. I completed the hike this morning for Bohde Henley and the Cool Kids Campaign (I hope you donated).

Justin Berk

The afternoon bike rides are for people who have been a big part of building my character and whose story I want to tell. Today as I talk about my dad, he is also a miracle cancer survivor.

Harvey Berk

I hope one day, and perhaps this trek will make it sooner, I get to write a book and tell ‘my full story’. Then and only then will you get a full appreciation for this man I call my hero. But for the purpose of this event, I just want to explain his story.

In 2009, my parents traveling through Isreal and being the supportive people they are, wanted to donate blood. After a quick test (they are more strict than the US), they would not accept his because his iron was too low. This big strong man who loves meat had no idea. When he got back to the US, he was determined to be slightly anemic. He might be one of the few people who enjoyed the suggestion to eat liver (blah). But he was also required to go for blood tests every few months.

My dad was diligent, but on his birthday, almost skipped it. At the last moment he decided to go, and the results that day were elevated creatin levels. He was not pounding muscle drinks, so it was a surprise. He was asked to come back in a few weeks, and when he did it was back to normal.

Thankfully a doctor decided to send him to a specialist just in case, and the results were a complete surprise:

He had one kidney down to 7% functionality and needed to be removed. But he also found out that he had a tumor in his ureter, the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder.

I remember sitting in the waiting room after his surgery and chatting with his doctor. This guy happened to be a world pioneer in this field, but I his name eludes me now. Regardless, he described the operation and was in complete shock. The type of caner my dad had was the most aggressive… and they have NEVER seen it this early in a patient before. They actually extracted it with no impact on lymph nodes nearby. Basically a miracle saved my dad’s life.

He is my dad, and like most kids, they would say their father deserves to be saved like that. This man is the example of generosity donating his time and money to so many without a second thought. Perhaps he is the reason I am a little crazy to embark on this 320 mile trek across the state. He has been the most vocal about my health holding up, but I know he is proud. He will be at the inlet, on the beach in Ocean City on Saturday. So if you can be there for the end of this, you can meet him.

Today- I am biking for my dad! My hero deserving of his miracle. The reason I am the dad I am to my boys today.

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Justin has been doing weather on Baltimore TV since 1997. His degree is from Cornell, he has the CBM- the highest certification from the AMS, and professor at Stevenson University since 2000. A true weather geek and snowhound, he mixes technical forecasting with pop culture, and may lose sleep after a bad forecast. When the tie comes off he likes to play outside and get dirty.